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Graham Leslie

Leslie, 61, left school at the age of 14 and played football as an apprentice for Middlesbrough. He tried his hand at fashion design, became a hairdresser and then found work at Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, where he began learning about healthcare. In 1982, he started his own company, Galpharm, with a £5,000 loan from his local Lloyds bank in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. "I walked in unshaven, carrying a guitar, and they laughed at me before I convinced them to give me the loan," he says. Today the Barnsley-based company sells its medicines across the UK and overseas. Last year it was reported Galpharm was for sale for between £40m and £50m. Offers have come in from as far afield as Asia and America. For now, we value Leslie at about £45m.